That evening
The sun had set only moments ago when Finley came trudging in through the back door. Maev glanced up at him from the stove and burst into laughter.
The young man growled at her and wiped the mud caking his eyes. "Don't even ask," he warned as she walked slowly through the little room and grabbed a rag.
"I
think I'm going to have to," Maev grinned mischievously. "What
happened to you, lose a fight with Ferdinand?"
"I am
telling you, that little bugger is going to be the death of us all!"
Finley groaned in agitation. He paused and suddenly spit a clump of
cottony wool out into his hand. "And he sheds like the devil."
Maev
stepped over and shooed him away from a chair he was about to sit in.
"Don't even think of sitting anywhere until you're cleaned off,
Fin. I'll have your head."
"Oi, look who's been turned
into the housewife overnight!"
"I'm only the housewife's
minion; Mam will have the rest of you in the stew tomorrow night,"
Maev hissed, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"I hate when you do that stupid eyebrow thing," Finley muttered as he made his way to his room.
"Get
going, LITTLE BROTHER!" Maev called after him. "Or I'll
summon the dastardly Ferdinand to finish you off!"
"Piss
off!"
"Hey
now," Aiden suddenly entered the room, wiping his hands on his
pants, "none of that language! And Finley?"
"Yes
da?"
"You didn't get all of the sheep back in the barn;
Ferdinand is still there."
Maev stuck her tongue out at Finley as he growled and went back outside. The man gave her a very rude gesture which resulted in his father hitting him over the head with a wooden spoon.
"That
boy," Aiden sighed, kissing his daughter on the forehead. "Your
mam will be having supper at Alannah's tonight. Her husband stopped
by; they think Braden may have something worse than a head
cold."
"Poor kid," Maev said aloud, stirring the
stew on the little oven. "Alannah mentioned he wasn't doing
well."
"Yes... You know, Blair mentioned that Deirdre
said something about you having a tumble at the market today?"
Maev pursed her mouth and glared at the bubbling stew. "That girl does not know how to hold her tongue--"
"Maev, she said a stranger helped you up," Aiden spoke in a concerned voice now. "Who was he--"
The young woman held back a laugh again. Leave it to her father to always play his role: the father. Tending to the farm, supporting the family... and keeping the men away from his daughter.
"Oh, I don't know, someone new to town. A little bit of an eccentric, but he was very kind and bought me a new bushel of apples." Maev stopped talking and took the stew off the oven. "Go call Finley, da, supper is ready. I'll get the table set." She ignored her father's look and hurried around to set three bowls and glasses.
"Maev--" He spoke with annoyance.
"Call him while it's still warm!" Maev protested. She said nothing more until she knew he was gone.
"Hector..." the name was caught in her throat.
Meanwhile...
Off the shores of the harbour, several longboats drifted silently onto the shores. The amber-eyed pirate swiftly stepped off into the dark sands and began to move.
The shadows of the pirates flickered off the streets and the roads as the company made its way to the solitary cottage.
"Get ready, boys..."
"In the name of the father, the son, and the holy--"
There
was a sudden loud knocking the door. The three Fionns jumped. "Who
on earth could that be?" Finley pondered as he leaned towards
the little kitchen window. "God's love, there are those weird
eccentrics from last night, Maev!"
"Eccentrics?"
Aiden stood up and looked out the window.
Maev had always known her father to be a stubborn Irishman. With his rough voice and his unnerving words, he never showed an ounce of weakness. A strong aura will get you through life, he would say.
His face drained to a deathly alabaster. Maev felt her heart skip.
Aiden
turned to his children. "Listen, both of you," he spoke in
a low, shaking voice. Now both the son and daughter were concerned.
The gray in his eyes had lightened, almost to white. "I want you
two to go and hide in the barn. No matter what. If something
happens... then run. But for now... hide in the barn."
"Da,
what are you--"
"Do as I say!" Aiden nearly roared.
Finley stopped and rose and began to walk towards the door. He
clenched his fists as he did, the uneasiness returning to his eyes.
Just
as Maev stood up, Aiden took her arm. "Take this," he
whispered into her ear, placing an old piece of parchment in her
hand. She looked at him in confusion and raised her hand. He stopped
her. "Don't let anyone see it, Maev. No matter what."
"What
is going--"
"Please, Maev!" Her father pleaded.
"Just go!" He gave her a swift push and she broke out of
the door and took off for the barn.
She knew only one place that no one would ever find the parchment and as much as she hated to do it, her father's terrified eyes were now burned into her mind.
She quickly shoved the old paper down the front of her dress. "Modesty my ass," she muttered.
Yo ho
"Well well well, look who it is..." Hector Barbossa stepped into the little house towards Aiden. The Father stood his ground firmly, clenching his fists at his side.
"Can
I help you, gentlemen--"
"Cut the chit-chat, White-eye,"
a pirate with long black hair stepped up beside Hector. "No more
games this time."
"...it's been a while, Hector."
Hector
nodded. "So it has, Aiden... so it has..."
"...what
do you want?"
Hector
held out his hand. "The map, please. And then we can all go
quietly."
Aiden held up his hands. "You think I still
have that thing? Traded it years ago for a nice price. I'm retired, I
don't need--"
Hector
grabbed his neck and shoved him against the wall. Aiden grunted in
pain as the pirate bore down into his face. "No more games,
White-Eye. The map, if you please..."
Aiden stared into
Hector's amber-brown eyes, feeling something warm trickle down the
back of his head. He bit his lip.
"I..."
"You...?"
Hector tightened his grip on his throat before glancing into the
kitchen. He eyes the three bowls of stew, still cooling off at the
little wooden table.
A smile melted across his face. "Where are your children, Aiden?"
The father's face paled.
Meanwhile...
Inside the looming barn, tucked deep into the hay pile, Finley and Maev curled up silently, listening. Now and again, the brother would peer out the little crack of the wall towards the cottage. "Nothing," he whispered.
Maev
folded her arms over her knees. "We're going to smell like sheep
and hay for weeks now."
"Maev, we own a sheep farm,
don't we always?"
"...well, you do at least."
"I
swear, if there wasn't something going on right now, I'd--"
There was a sudden crash outside. Both children jumped and began kicking each other to get the peephole. Finley brought his elbow down on Maev's forehead and while she rubbed it and cursed him violently, he looked outside.
"God's
love..." he gasped.
"What is it!"
"...the
cottage is on fire."
"WHAT!" She shoved him out of
the way and looked through. "DA!" She covered her mouth to
muffle a scream. "I'm going for him!"
"Don't even
think about it!" Finley grabbed her back and held her against
the wall under the hay. "He told us to stay here no matter
what!"
"No, he said if something bad happens to run! And
I am going to run to the cottage."
"Maev, damnnit, he's
doing it for our own--"
The barn door was swiftly thrown open. Finley and Maev bit their lips and clung to each other in the hay. There was an eerie silence between them as the pirates filtered in slowly.
"Children..." one of them purred icily. "Oh, little children, where are you?"
Finley's eyes widened and he glanced at Maev. The man was stout and had stringy hair, just like one of them last night. He was followed by a lanky young man with a wooden eye.
"I
dunno, Pintel, all I sees is hays and sheep dirt--"
"Then
go POKE the hay, you idiot!" Pintel growled at Ragetti. "Or
better yet..." he smiled, raising his lantern, "burn the
hay."
"No!" Finley leapt out from the hay, pushing
Maev farther in. "I'm here!"
"Look, it's the little
blighter from last night!" Ragetti grinned. "Play us
something, blighter!"
"Shut tup, you idiot!" Pintel
roared at him before turning to Finley. "Where's your sister,
litte boy?"
Finley shook his head. "Sister? What sister,
I don't have a sister!" He quietly nudged his foot at Maev,
pointing his toe towards the little door behind the hay pile.
Maev nearly turned to it but then saw something even better.
"Don't
play dumb with me, boy," Pintel stepped forward. "Your
father sang like a bird and told us exactly where you two were. Here.
In the barn. Now kindly step aside so we can coax your sister
out."
Finley stepped forward. "We've done nothing to
you."
"I know that, idiot," Pintel grinned. "But you have something that belongs to our captain." Slowly, he took out his pistol and aimed it at the young man. Finley's eyes popped open and his lip quivered.
"The map, if you please--"
"RUN FINLEY!"
There was a woosh as a pitchfork smacked into Pintel's head soundly. His eyes rolled up into his head and he toppled to the floor. Maev whirled the pitchfork around on Ragetti. "...parlay?"
"They're French, Finley, RUN!' Maev screamed, whirling the pitchfork into Ragetti's side. He gave a groan and toppled over as well.
She glanced out the large door and was horrified to see the ominous figures with lamps thundering towards her, shouting.
"MAEV!" Finley shouted, opening the back door. Maev gripped the pitchfork tightly and followed her brother out.
The children sprinted across the field, leaping over the sheep fence and starting up the hill. Finley's long, lean legs carried him swiftly and steadily, but soon Maev began to fall behind. Her chest burned and she dropped the pitchfork. She touched her chest quickly to make sure the map was still there.
She felt only the fabric.
"Damnnit!" She cursed under her breath as she turned back and began running towards the sheep pen. Her eyes scanned the dark ground. "Where are you!"
There was a scrap of old parchment sticking up from a pile of rocks. Her heart steadied and she ripped it out and stuffed it down her dress again.
Suddenly, a sharp pain engulfed her head. Maev crumbled to the ground and slipped into darkness.
